Florida's gubernatorial debate took a strange turn on Wednesday evening when an electric fan stole the show from two candidates.
Republican Gov. Rick Scott refused to take to the stage for several minutes after learning that Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, also a former governor of Florida, had an electric fan at the base of his podium. Viewers of the debate were told that Scott would not be participating in the debate:
"Let me explain what this is all about," said moderator Elliot Rodriguez of CBS Miami. "Governor Crist has asked to have a small fan placed underneath his podium. The rules of the debate that I was shown by the Scott campaign say that there should be no fan... and for that reason, ladies and gentlemen, I am being told that Governor Scott will not join us for this debate."
Resounding boos rose from the crowd, before Scott eventually made his way to the stage.
The event, which many have taken to calling #Fangate, has been garnering more attention for the peculiar turn of events than for any of the topics discussed.
A fan at the podium has apparently been a staple of Crist's campaign for some time. Campaign advisor Dan Gelber was quick to point out that the fan was agreed to in advance by the sponsors of the debate.
Crist's campaign seemed eager to jump on the #Fangate hashtag bandwagon, and called the debate "surreal":
#fangate - what a night! Now, let's get back to the issues that matter to Florida. 19 days. Say you're in - here: http://t.co/1CFlgKZJsQ— Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) October 16, 2014
Florida's Democratic Party also shared its take.
Last night, Rick Scott wanted to talk about a fan instead of the issues. We deserve better. #FLGovDebate #Fangate pic.twitter.com/bBXXieZlUB— FL Democratic Party (@FlaDems) October 16, 2014
An official response from Scott's campaign said that the governor had not refused to take to the stage:
Charlie Crist lost another debate tonight and he is desperate to change the subject ... to his fan.
So, let's get one thing clear: Rick Scott never refused to take the stage and debate. In fact, our campaign was not notified Charlie had even taken the stage because the last we heard, Crist was in an “emergency meeting” with debate organizers pleading for his precious fan.
But Charlie Crist can bring his fan, microwave, and toaster to debates - - none of that will cover up how sad his record as Governor was compared to the success of Governor Rick Scott.